Scalar dimensions of environmental governance: conservation, trade and the saker falcon in Mongolia

The central Mongolian steppe has become a globally significant site of endangered and migratory wild Saker Falcon conservation. The economic value of the Mongolian wild Saker Falcon has grown substantially in the Arabic falconry market. Maintaining the viable population size of the wild Saker Falcon is vital to Mongolia’s state revenue and to reverse prospects of the falcon’s global extinction. A key task is to deal with unsustainable harvesting and unregulated trade, and to support the Saker Falcon’s core breeding ground in the context of conservation. In order to fulfil these tasks, an artificial nest project has been launched by the International Wildlife Consultants (IWC) UK, in collaboration with the Ministry of Nature, Environment, and Tourism, Mongolia, through funding provided by the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD), UAE. This initiative has raised hopes for Saker Falcon conservation and governance, improving the trade and harvesting practice at the local level. Examining the fortunes of wild Saker Falcon conservation and trade processes across different scalar dimensions in this study involved a primary assessment of conservation progress and development; in doing so, major governance challenges were identified. The study also highlights the challenges of the sustainable use concept as a management strategy for endangered and migratory species. A second finding is that endangered and migratory species conservation is a political and socioeconomic process that extends beyond biological and ecological solutions. This thesis examined stakeholders’ perspectives on Saker Falcon policy-development in Mongolia, using qualitative research methods such as surveying, focus groups, and in-depth interviewing. The analysis also incorporated the perceptions of rural communities, who are conservation stakeholders, living inside and on the fringe of the artificial nest areas. The study concludes that current environmental governance in Mongolia needs substantial improvements in order to facilitate sustainable use of the Saker Falcon in the future, and to respond to wider threats to the conservation of endangered and migratory species, with due cognisance to improving rural community livelihoods.